Various devices have been previously proposed for assisting water skiers. For example, a double-handled rope is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,690. In another device described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,344, ropes are provided to tie the skis together. Extra-wide skis have also been described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,097. Another method described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,993 employed a water ski with a tail fin. None of these devices, however, are able to use the standard ski rope and standard skis while at the same time providing effective assistance for a beginning skier.
Prior to the present invention, barefoot skiers sometimes wrapped their legs over the top of the rope to obtain assistance. This, however, can cause rope burns on the skier's legs. At the present time, there is no effective way to assist a barefoot skier.
In view of these problems, one important objective of the invention is to provide a new training devices that can be used by the whole family and is effective in assisting a water skier while employing standard skis and ski ropes.
Another objective of the invention is to provide a ski training apparatus for use with skis or without skis so that it is able to serve as a barefoot training device that will stabilize a deepwater start. In this application, it is an object of the invention to eliminate rope burns and stabilize the user by widening the user's stance at the start, thus enabling the skier to rise out of the water more easily.
Another important objective of the invention is to provide highly effective assistance, especially for the beginning water skier so that it can be used by adults or children.
These and other more detailed and specific objects of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the following figures and detailed description which illustrate by way of example of but a few of the various forms of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.